Love, Hate and Coconuts
by Shikata ga nai
Summary: Ryuki. While looking for Impmon, Rika and Ryo are caught in a data stream and find themselves stranded. Forced to rely on the unreliable to escape, will they survive the wait--and each other, or will insanity, anger and boring food get the better of them?
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I do not own digimon or Palm Pilot. I _do_, however, own a crappy computer with MS Word and have a lot of free time. Let the games begin. ^.~

Timeframe: This is after the Tamers find Calumon, but they're still looking for Impmon and they have no idea the ark exists yet. Oh yeah, and Leomon is dead too, of course.

~*~

Love, Hate and Coconuts

A gritty wind roared across the digital plain. Sixteen figures huddled in the lee of a monolithic rock, its reddish-brown crags rising fifty feet over their heads.

Jeri sat huddled against the stone, staring forlornly at her puppet. "I want to go home," she whispered.

Takato laid a hand on her knee. "Soon, Jeri. Yomaki says they've thought of a way to get us back home," he played nervously with the Palm Pilot. "But first we have to find Impmon." 

He frowned at Rika and Renamon as he said this. Renamon laid her ears back. "We can't just leave Impmon behind. He may be loud and annoying, but he's our friend."

Terriermon looked at her quizzically. "He is? I thought he was just loud and annoying."

"_Terriermon._"Henry scolded_._

"Moumentai, Henry, I was just kidding." Terriermon climbed onto Henry's head. "Let's go find Impmon!"

Takato nodded. "All right, we'll find him faster if we split up. Henry, Suzy and Kenta, go that way." He pointed into the distance. "Jeri, Kazu and I will go this way," he pointed in another direction, "and Rika, you and Ryo cover that direction." He pointed again. "We'll synchronize our watches and meet back at this rock in an hour. Let's go!"

*

Rika started in shock. Had Gogglehead just stuck her with _Ryo_? She looked at Ryo. He was standing on the outskirts of the group with his digimon Cyberdramon, scanning the horizon. She thought he must have missed the conversation altogether until he turned around and flashed his aggravating smile at her.

"So, let's get moving, partner!" he said loudly. "Got a lot of ground to cover in an hour!"

Rika whirled around to appeal to Takato but the stupid gogglehead had already trooped off with his search party. She shut her eyes and groaned. All the effort she'd put in to stay away from him and now she was stuck with Akiyama for the next hour, all by herself. Except for Renamon, of course.

Rika pulled out a card and her digivice. "Digimodify! Digivolution, activate!" She climbed on Kyubimon's back and they loped after Ryo and Cyberdramon.

* * *

Twenty minutes later the rock was a speck behind them. Ryo called back to her, but Rika couldn't hear him.

"What did he say?" she asked Kyubimon.

"He wants to look around on foot now." Kyubimon slowed to a stop and Rika slid off. Cyberdramon landed neatly beside them.

"Can you sense Impmon anywhere?" Rika asked her vixen friend. Renamon had always felt a strange connection with Impmon and she could track him by his feelings.

"No." Kyubimon sniffed the air. "Wait. I smell…something. Not Impmon though."

Ryo perked up. "Let's go check it out." He and Cyberdramon started to leave.

"Wait!" Rika called after him. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

Ryo blinked. "I'm going to check out the 'something.'"

"Not without _us_, you're not. Besides, what if it's dangerous? You could get yourselves killed!"

"No we won't!" Ryo replied cheerfully, still walking away.

Rika fumed. She ran up and turned him around to face her. 

"Listen, Akiyama, just because you beat me in some lousy tournament doesn't mean that you can just run off by yourself and think you can win!"

Ryo looked solemn. "You're right, Rika." Then his blue eyes twinkled mischievously. "It's also because I've been here longer than you and I have more experience in battle!" With that he leaped on Cyberdramon's back and flew away.

Rika growled and chased after him on Kyubimon, cursing under her breath.

* * *

When she finally caught up to Ryo, he was leaning against a rock with his arms behind his head, while Cyberdramon paced nearby. Rika stalked up to him and was torn between yelling and knocking his block off when he met her glare with his cool, unshakable gaze.

"There was nothing here, so I thought I'd wait for you to catch up. It was nice to have a rest."

Rika made up her mind and began to tell Ryo, in no uncertain terms, exactly what she thought of him and the stunt he'd just pulled, and how much she wanted to rearrange his face, while Kyubimon and Cyberdramon watched with marked interest.

She was so intent on her yelling that she didn't notice the data stream until it picked them up.


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I don't own digimon.

~*~

Chapter 2

Rika felt like she was waking up after sleeping on a train ride as she plummeted through the air. She landed on something soft and squishy and lay there until her brain caught up with her and she realized the soft, squishy thing was Ryo. The girl scrambled to her feet in disgust and went over to Renamon, who was sitting on the sand and shaking her head as if trying to clear it.

Sand? Rika looked around. The data stream had dropped the four of them on a tiny island, about fifteen paces wide, in the middle of an ocean. One lone palm tree stood near the centre. When she looked up at the canopy she saw the green outer shells of coconuts.

"Well, at least there's food," she muttered. There didn't appear to be anything else on the horizon.

She heard a groan behind her as Ryo struggled to his feet. "That was some entry huh?" His voice rang out behind her. "Hey, coconuts!" he shimmied up the tree and came down with a large green nut in his hands. Cyberdramon whacked it open and the two partners sat under the tree contentedly munching on the sweet white meat inside.

"I'm famished, I feel like I haven't eaten in weeks." He swallowed and held it out to Rika. "Want some?" When she made a face he shrugged and kept eating.

"So where are we?" he finally asked. 

"We're in the Digital World." Rika snarled. "Beyond that, I haven't got a clue. This island's surrounded by ocean for as far as I can see." She flopped down disgustedly on the sand and started picking at the leg of her jeans. 

Ryo finished his coconut. "So how do we get off of it again?"

"The same way we got here: a data stream." Renamon was perched in the top of the tree, scanning around her. She sighed. "I can't see anything."

In response, Cyberdramon flew up to Renamon, picked her up and rose on his powerful wings until they were high above the island.

Rika shaded her eyes and watched them become a dot in the clear sky. "What's he doing?"

Ryo raised his eyebrow at Rika. "He's taking her up higher to look around."

Rika frowned. "He didn't need to do that. I was going to slash a modify card so she could fly!"

"Well, now you don't have to and Renamon can save her energy."

"Renamon has plenty of energy, and we'd appreciate it if you wouldn't do things like that anymore." Rika was getting severely annoyed with Ryo now.

Ryo gave her a pained look. "He was just trying to be helpful!"

"We don't need your help!!!!" Rika exploded. She turned swiftly around and crossed her arms over her chest. The last thing she needed was _Ryo's_ help with _anything_. She was a big girl, didn't he think she could handle herself?

*

Ryo's sapphire eyes clouded over. He opened his mouth to answer Rika, but just then the digimon came back and he shut his mouth, fuming quietly.

*

Renamon landed lightly on the sand, Cyberdramon next to her. "We went up about 300 feet, but all we saw was water. There was a tiny rock a few miles away from here though. I saw an old Whamon hunting nearby it in the deeper water. I want to go talk to him and try to find out more about this place."

Rika's face fell. "No land? No data streams either?"

"None that I could see. Don't worry Rika, I'm sure one will come soon and we can leave."

Rika leaned against the tree and exhaled loudly. "but what are the chances that if one does come, it'll hit this little island? We could be stuck here forever!"

Ryo cleared his throat. "Actually, since I've been in the Digital World, I've noticed that data streams seem to detect living things, like us, and home in on them. So if one comes, it should head right for us."

Rika studied him, taking in his unkempt brown hair, his mismatched clothes, his glittering blue eyes. She sighed. "I hope you're right, Akiyama. Because if we're stuck here long, I might have to feed you to the fish."


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I don't own digimon. But, if I could figure out how to pull it off, Sakuyamon would be sitting next to me providing her input.

Sakuyamon: That's right, partner.

Ehehe.

~*~

Chapter 3

Rika woke up to the steady sound of waves washing up against a beach and wondered where she was. then she heard Ryo humming merrily and the events of the day before came rushing back to her. She groaned and tried to go back to sleep, hoping it was all a bad dream and she'd wake up soon, at home in bed or even with Henry and Gogglehead, just anywhere but here.

Ryo heard her groan and walked over to her, curled up in her little scoop in the sand. 

"Good morning, Rika!" He held out two halves of a coconut to her. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

Rika was tired and there was sand inside her clothes. "Go stick your head in the sand!" she snapped.

"Not a morning person, huh?" Ryo shook his head and walked over to a small pile of leaves, where he was busy doing something that looked like sewing. Rika's curiosity got the better of her and she followed him to see what he was doing.

Ryo noticed her puzzled expression. "I'm making a hat," he explained. "To keep the sun off. Do you want one?" 

She considered for a bit and then shrugged. There was nothing else to do. She settled down on the ground and he showed her how he was weaving together coconut leaves and some long grass that was growing under the tree.

They worked in an almost companionable silence until Rika realized something was wrong. She looked around her. "Where's Renamon?"

Ryo shrugged. "They went to talk to that Whamon. Said they'd be back before nightfall." He kept working on the cone-shaped hat, not looking up.

Rika scowled at the idea that her partner would just leave without telling her, but the warm sun felt so comfortable that for once she didn't feel like yelling about it, at least not right now.

The day passed uneventfully after that. The sun inched overhead and towards the western horizon, washing the sky with pink and purple. Renamon and Cyberdramon still weren't back, and Rika was getting anxious. 

Soon stars winked into view across the sky, and the almost-full moon was casting a pale, ghostly light over everything. Ryo had discovered that the dried-out coconut shells and leaves burned, and used one of his matches to get a fire going. They huddled on opposite sides of the hot orange light, Rika looking up into the sky intermittently. Her face was lines with worry.

"Where _is_ she?" she muttered for the tenth time.

Ryo was watching her across the fire. There was concern in his eyes, but more for Rika than for Cyberdramon. "I'm sure she'll be back very soon." He made his voice reassuring. "They probably just lost track of time, that's all."

Rika glared daggers at him. His sympathy seared through her like a red-hot poker, and she lost her temper. "Or maybe that _thing_ of yours went crazy and attacked her! You have no control over that creature. I never should have trusted him to carry her!"

Ryo was so taken aback that all he could do was blink at her. "I-I'm sorry that you feel that way, Rika. Cyberdramon would never hurt Renamon. He's really just a big puppy dog."

There were sparks in Rika's lavender eyes, but all she did was scowl at Ryo while he sat with an inscrutable look on his face.

The fire was nearly embers when the digimon came back. Rika bolted up and ran to Renamon. "What kept you so long?" she demanded as she hugged her partner fiercely. 

Renamon embraced Rika back. "The rock was further away than we thought. Cyberdramon had to rest before we could return."

Ryo scratched his digimon behind his head. "Poor guy. Want a coconut, boy?"

As the digimon came to rest by the remains of the fire, Renamon related what the Whamon had told her. "He said that he's never seen people on this island before, but the water here is too shallow for him to come close. He didn't have a lot of useful information for me, but what he said was interesting."

She continued. "Apparently a long time ago this island was part of a larger land mass, and land-dwelling digimon lived on it. But over the years the water rose higher and higher until all that was left was this little piece. Even this part is still sinking. That whamon says he's travelled half this ocean and he's never seen any other land. This place has become a world specially for the water digimon."

Rika sighed impatiently. "That's a beautiful story, but I don't think it'll help us get off of this godforsaken sand dune! We're stuck here…"

"Don't worry Rika. Cyberdramon and I will keep looking for data streams." Renamon looked in her eyes. "I know one will come soon."

Rika got up. "I'm going to bed."

She spent the night huddled against Renamon for warmth. Sleep eluded her.


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: I OWN DIGIMON! Yes, it's finally happened! (Just kidding. That will never happen. I don't own digimon, really. Still waiting on that Sakuyamon, though. Heyyyy, my birthday is next month… ^.~ )

~*~

Chapter 4

Rika got up the next morning in a horrible mood. She was exhausted from lack of sleep, her clothes itched and her hair felt gritty from sleeping in the sand. As she ate breakfast she thought, _After we get out of here, if I ever see another coconut I'll scream. _The most annoying thing was that Ryo seemed to be as cheerful as ever.

"It's a gorgeous day, isn't it Rika?" he beamed.

She ground her teeth. "Oh, why don't you go romp through a meadow somewhere?" she spat. "Leave me alone!"

His smile wilted. "What are you talking about?"

"You're so disgustingly positive all the time! 'Oh, it's a beautiful day, the birds are singing, let's all hold hands and dance.' Give it a break, you make me _ill_!"

"I'm just trying to make the best of it, that's all," he mumbled.

"Well, quit it! We're stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere, our only way out may or may not come, and there's sand in my underwear! The last thing I want to hear is you trilling away about how nice the weather is!!!!"

Ryo bristled. "Well, I think _you're _the one with the problem! So what if we're in a bad situation, you can't do anything about it so why not try to find the silver lining? You're so _negative_ that at the rate you're going, you'll die lonely and miserable!!"

Rika felt like she'd been slapped. She took a deep breath. "And we'll be stuck on this wretched little island eating nothing but coconuts until we're eighty-two!!!"

*

The two Tamers stood there glowering at each other until Renamon and Cyberdramon landed, having spent the last half an hour in the sky searching in vain for data streams. Rika cast a glance at Renamon and stalked off to the far side of the palm tree, where she appeared to be trying to sleep.

The two digimon retreated to the canopy of the tree and were soon having an animated discussion, which Ryo couldn't hear.

Ryo shook his head and lay down on the sun-baked sand, folding his arms behind his head as he stared at the fluffy white clouds drifting by overhead. He thought about Rika and sighed. His remark about her dying lonely seemed to have hit its mark; he recalled her flinching when he said it. She'd gone redder than her hair and lost her temper even more, if that were possible. He wished now that he could take it back, but the damage was done.

Ryo scowled at the innocent clouds. Damn that Rika. She was beautiful--her exotic lavender eyes captivated him--and she didn't act all girly and stupid, like Jeri did; but her temper was lethal. _She must not like me very much,_ he thought. _It's like she's got some kind of vendetta against me._

He yawned (the nights were bothering him, too), and soon he drifted off to sleep in the sunlight.

***************************************************************************************** Author's Note: Oooh, now that was an interesting fight. My story's finally starting to pick up. How does Rika really feel about Ryo, now that we know all of his side? Look for a shamelessly "borrowed" *cough* dream sequence in the next chapter. (Give me some teeny weeny credit, I wrote it at two in the morning, which is not something I do.)


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: *sigh* I do not own digimon. (This is a depressing thing to keep repeating.) I _also_ do not technically own the fairy tale I alluded to in this chapter. Although it's in one of my storybooks somewhere. Anyways.

**Note to Andy, if he/she's still reading this: I appreciate the criticism. I loved that episode too. But please bear in mind, this is my creation, and if it bothers you that much, you have the right not to read it. (But I still also have the right to write it. : P ) Thanks for taking the time to express your concern, and so politely.

~*~

Chapter 5

The feel of rough bark against her back had a somewhat calming effect on Rika, but she still felt hurt and angry after Ryo's stinging comeback. 

__

Lonely? Me? Akiyama thinks he knows everything about me, she thought bitterly. _He doesn't know me at all._ Slowly but surely, poisonous tendrils of doubt began to grow inside her as she thought this. She dismissed them with an irritated shake of her head. _Who does that idiot Akiyama think he is anyway?_ She fumed quietly. _He was _way_ out of line. _

Suddenly, insistently, another voice bubbled to the surface, interrupting her monologue. _Are you so sure that Ryo was the one who was out of line?_ Rika blushed with embarrassment and shame when she recalled all that she'd said to him. Maybe he'd been right to take a shot at her.

She shook her head again. _No,_ she said to herself._ No, he gave me a reason to be mean to him. He's always treating me like his inferior. Just because he beat me, and all of a sudden he's the 'Legendary Tamer,' doesn't give him the right to treat me like a little girl! I'm the Digimon Queen!_

Still the voice persisted. _He was never treating you like a little girl. You know he was just trying to be nice. He wants to be your friend, if you'd put away your pride and let him…_

Rika frowned and shook her head more vehemently. "No," she mumbled softly, "no…"

*

__

Rika was wearing a long pink gown and pink silk slippers. A gold circlet crowned her head. In her hand was a small golden ball, which she would throw up in the air and catch over and over.

Once she dropped it and it rolled away from her and into a deep pool, where it sank to the bottom. She couldn't reach it and was getting very upset when Ryo the frog came hopping by.

"What's the matter, Princess?" he asked.

"I dropped my ball," she wailed softly.

"Don't worry, milady, I'll go get it for you." He jumped in the water and swam to the very bottom. After what seemed like an eternity he resurfaced with the ball in his mouth.

"Oh, thank you!" Princess Rika cried happily.

"Now, you can do something for me in return," Ryo the frog croaked.

Rika eyed him warily. "Like what?"

"Take me home and let me live with you," he said earnestly.

Rika was repulsed. "What, a wet, slimy little creature like you, living in my castle?"

"One good turn deserves another," he countered.

"Ewww, no. Go away, you disgusting little thing!" She got up and hurried away.

"You'll regret it!" the frog called after her.

She looked back. Ryo was a frog no longer, but a handsome prince in regal clothing. His eyes, deepest azure like the pool, pierced her, lancing through her soul.

"See what you could have had?" He held his arms wide.

"No!" Rika cried, and ran back to him. She passed right through him as if he was a ghost. She watched, helpless, as Ryo faded before her eyes.

Suddenly she herself was in the pool, sinking like a stone to the shadowy bottom as her skirts billowed up around her face. Her cry for help escaped her lips as a silent silvery bubble. Soon she was lost in the never-ending darkness.

*

Rika opened her eyes but everything was dark and murky. She panicked until she realized that her hat was covering her face. Yanking it off, she sat upright and fought to breathe normally.

She looked around. The sun was noticeably lower than it had been before she'd fallen asleep. Her stomach growled loudly. Rika wrinkled her nose at the coconuts, but then an idea came to her.

Gathering some dried-out shells, she built a tiny fire and roasted a coconut over it. She was surprised to find that it tasted much better than the raw ones did. In mid-swallow she remembered Ryo. He was asleep, sprawled out on the hot sand and looking like he'd been there for a long time.

Rika's dream came back to her and she shuddered. She reached out to touch him, to reassure herself that he wasn't really fading away, but stopped herself just in time. _Let him sleep, _she thought. Instead she stood there watching him, taking in his features as if for the first time. 

Her gaze travelled lightly over his spiky brown hair, past his closed eyelids (she wished suddenly that his eyes were open so she could see that intense ice-blue colour without her usual disdain). It continued down his tanned face, unlined and innocent in his unprotected state; over his clothes, dirty and worn; and to the strange metal sleeve on his arm. 

When she reached his feet she went back to watching his face a moment longer before she walked away to finish supper.


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: I do not own digimon. 

** Thanks to everyone who's reviewed! I love the support this story's getting. 

__

Arabella Skydancer: I have the whole story written out on paper already. I'm just typing it up. ^^

~*~

Chapter 6

When Ryo woke up he found a toasted coconut sitting next to him. For a moment he wondered if Cyberdramon had made it, until he realized that his digimon, despite all of his best efforts, could never manage to cook anything without burning down his surroundings.

Rika was sitting near the water watching the sunset when Ryo sat next to her. After a silence while he tried to gauge her mood, he hazarded talking.

"Thanks for dinner, it was really good."

Rika didn't look at him. "It was nothing."

Silence. Ryo was out of ideas. They watched quietly as the sun sank lower, shimmering on the sea. 

"Ryo…" 

Ryo was startled out of his reverie. He looked at Rika. "What is it?"

She blushed and ducked her head. "I…Ryo, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. For the way I've been treating you. It was cruel of me, I know you were just trying to be nice."

*

Rika was concentrating on her shoes as she spoke. She felt herself going redder by the minute and she was stumbling over her words. Apology was new to her, and she didn't think she liked the vulnerable feeling it gave her. All she was getting in response from Ryo was silence. She took a deep, shaky breath and looked up at him.

He was staring at her in astonishment, his mouth hanging open so that he looked rather like a fish. Rika bit her lip.

*

Ryo was stupefied, to say the least. "Did-did you just _apologize_ to me? And you called me Ryo. That's the first time you've ever called me Ryo." 

__

Look at her, he thought. _She looks so unsure of herself. That is so unlike Rika. What's gotten into her?_

Indeed, she looked scared. A warm, reassuring smile spread across Ryo's face, and he saw her relax visibly when she recognized it.

"Let's start over," he grinned. "I'm Ryo Akiyama, the Legendary Tamer!" He held out his hand, an impish gleam in his eyes.

Rika smiled ruefully as she shook it, her own lavender eyes reflecting his spunk. "And I'm Rika Nonaka, the Digimon Queen!"

Formalities done, the two of them sat on the beach talking until the dazzling pinpoints of hundreds of stars filled the sky.

***

The next morning Rika woke up refreshed and happy. 

"Good morning Renamon!" She beamed at her partner. 

Renamon blinked at her, but then she smiled. "Good morning Rika. You're feeling better."

Rika stretched onto her toes and yawned. "Yeah, I slept pretty good last night."

She and Ryo had toasted coconuts for breakfast and sat around talking while their friends did their daily check for data streams that might rescue them. Today Renamon had asked Rika to slash a card for her.

"I'm worried about Cyberdramon," Renamon murmured quietly. "The coconut diet isn't enough for him. He's wearing out, and carrying me through the air can't be helping."

Rika nodded and drew out a modify card. "Digi-modify! Hyper wing, activate!"

Ryo must have noticed this, but he didn't say anything. The two digimon flew off, and they were left alone.

"So what do your parents do?" Rika asked as they basked in the sun.

A moment passed before Ryo answered her. "They're both business executives." His voice sounded tight. "I don't see them much, they're always busy." Rika glanced at him with concern, but he changed the subject quickly. "So your mom's a fashion model, right?"

Rika sighed. "Yeah, she is."

"I remember seeing pictures of her before I came to the digital world. She's very pretty. I can see where you get your looks from…"

Rika looked at Ryo sharply, but he was suddenly intensely interested in a pod of dolphmon frolicking on the horizon.

A few minutes later, Renamon landed gracefully on the beach beside them, with Cyberdramon in tow. She was clearly excited.

"We saw a data stream! It's coming straight towards us. It should be here in about ten minutes!"

The tamers cheered.

"We're going home, we're going home!" Ryo hugged Rika excitedly. When they realized what he was doing they both blushed and he released her quickly.

They cleaned up after themselves and soon they could see the purple pillar of energy zigzagging over the horizon.

"Here it comes!" Ryo was tense with excitement.

"Beam me up, Scotty," Rika muttered as it cut through the shallows next to the beach.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Rika felt her feet leave the ground as the four of them were swallowed by the data stream.


	7. Chapter 7

DISCLAIMER: I don't own digimon. Toei Animation and Fox do, as far as I know.

~*~

Chapter 7

The landing was better this time; Rika stayed on her feet. Renamon appeared next to her. Ryo was off to her right, but a little purple dinosaur had replaced Cyberdramon.

"Who's that?" She asked as the dinosaur blinked at his new surroundings.

Ryo patted the stubby horn on the digimon's head. "This is Monodramon. The last of his energy must have been sucked up by the data stream." He knelt down and rubbed Monodramon's back. "Don't worry, buddy, we'll have you eating properly again." 

Rika looked around her. "Hey, isn't that the rock we were all supposed to meet at? We're near where we started!" 

Sure enough, Rika soon saw the other tamers running as a group towards them.

"Oh my God," she breathed, the situation having just sunk in. "We're back, they're here, we're going home! No more coconuts!"

Ryo laughed and Rika beamed back at him. Their eyes met and for an eternal moment were locked on each other. Rika could feel her pulse quickening. She was sure that her stomach was filled with butterflies, and they were spreading to her fingers and toes. This was definitely a new feeling.

__

The sunshine in his eyes is melting the ice around your heart. She blushed as she thought this. It sounded mushy and poetic but she liked it. 

Rika suddenly felt like she would burst if she didn't say it.

"Ryo…"

His beautiful eyes locked on her. Her breath caught in her throat. 

"Ryo, I--"

Rika fell to the ground. She tried to get up again but the earth was shaking and she lost her balance. Ryo was still on his feet, but barely.

A loud rumbling shattered the air and dust rose in clouds around Rika's head. She started coughing violently and another rumble nearly knocked her over again. A large crack rent the earth several yards away from her and widened rapidly until it was ten feet across. A loud cry echoed towards her and she panicked.

"Ryo! RYO!" She made her way through the haze, her eyes stinging from the dust. As it settled she saw the newly formed chasm. A hand was gripping the edge of it. Ryo had been standing right over the crack and had barely found a handhold in time. 

"Rika." His voice was weak and shaky and he coughed. He was slowly losing his grip on the ledge.

Rika was still too far away to reach him. "Ryo, hang on!" She ran towards him as his fingers slipped off the ledge one by one. He let go completely just as she reached him, and she grabbed at the air for his hand. Rika touched his fingertips but he fell out of her grasp. She watched in mute horror as he dropped, slowly, slowly, into the roiling, seething red mass of Chaos far below, his mouth open in a silent gasp.

"RYOOOO!!" Rika shut her eyes and threw herself forward, but strong arms caught her around the waist and hauled her away from the chasm. 

She turned around and fell into Henry's arms, blinded by tears.

*

"It's okay. It's okay, Rika. Let it all out." Henry embraced his friend, letting her cry into his chest. A few yards away he saw Guilmon and Renamon Fighting to restrain Ryo's digimon, who was struggling to go after his tamer. The scene nearly broke his heart.

Behind him Henry knew without looking that everyone was staring dumbly, probably unable to believe that Rika could cry at all, never mind so hard.

Rika lifted her head and drew a shuddering breath. "Henry…I had his hand and I let him go…"

Henry looked at her with all of the sympathy in his being. "It wasn't your fault, Rika."

She buried her face in his chest again, overcome with fresh tears. All he could do was stand there and hold her while she poured it all out.

"It's not fair Henry…" Her voice was muffled by his T-shirt.

She looked up at him again, her eyes red and blotchy. "I never got to tell Ryo I loved him."

*******************************************************************************************

__

Author's Note: Oh no, I killed Ryo! I bet I'll be shot through with fiery arrows for that. But before you get your bow out, just let me explain myself. I didn't want a happy ending, because I thought that would make the whole story sound very stupid. This ending was kind of cliched as it is. I admit it was a little sad, but I thought it needed to be done. Go read one of the millions of happy stories now to make yourself feel better. Jaa ne. 

**I have just recently written a sequel to this story, called Kiss of an Angel. There is more Rika/Ryo in it. Please go read and review. It's happier, I promise! ^.^ **


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